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Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Coffee in Space

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti drinks coffee in the Cupola, the new Zero-G Cup!

Coffee in Space

When you think of the types of food and beverages that astronauts
consume, you probably imagine dehydrated fruits, freeze-dried ice cream, and
juice sealed in shiny foil bags. But astronauts recently added a new, more
earthly item to their menu; authentic Italian espresso.

On April 20th, a new piece of highly-specialized
equipment was added to the ISS. Argotec, an Italian engineering firm known for
innovations in space cuisine, teamed up with Italian coffee company Lavazza to
create the first espresso capsule machine to work in microgravity. Aptly named “ISSpresso”, the 40 lb espresso machine, which was delivered to the ISS by
the SpaceXDragon cargo capsule, was a much appreciated addition to the ISS by the astronauts aboard.

“Italian coffee is a beverage without borders” said Giuseppe Lavazza, Vice President of Lavazza, “and we have been thinking about taking the espresso into space for some time.”

While it may not seem like a huge
scientific advancement to some, a lot had to be learned about the behavior of
fluid dynamics in low-gravity environments in order for the ISSpresso to work
correctly and safely. This information can be used to create improved plumbing and
cooling systems and even fuel tanks for the ISS or future space stations.

Any knowledgable coffee drinker know that part of the experience of
drinking coffee is the aroma. Taste and smell go hand in hand, so drinking
authentic Italian espresso through a straw out of a vacuum sealed bag just
doesn’t seem right.

The Zero-G CupPhoto Courtesy: Mark Weisloge

That’s why the Zero-G cup has been invented. You might think
that the liquid contents of a cup in space would not be easily contained and
would float out of the cup, but in reality it’s the opposite that occurs.
Without gravity acting on the liquid, coffee tends to stick to the inner
surface of a standard coffee mug due to surface tension forces. It would be
nearly impossible to drink an entire cup of coffee or tea without gravity, and
the drink would sit at the bottom of the cup. To fight this, the Zero-G cup has
a creased edge that whips the beverage up towards the spout. When a connection
is made between the cup and the lips, the drink is free to flow into the mouth,
and every last drop can be enjoyed. Currently on the space station, there are 6
Zero-G cups specifically designed for espresso shots, and more can easily be 3D
printed if needed.